Squarrose Knapweed

Centaurea virgata spp. squarrosa

Squarrose knapweed is a long lived perennial that grows 2 to 3 feet tall. The stems are very branched and covered with dense fine hair. Flowers are usually smaller than the other knapweeds, and are pink in color. The tips of the bracts are recurved which allows the seed heads to break off the plant and latch onto the coat of animals. Each flower produces 3 to 4 dull brown seeds each about 3 mm in length.